Customer Reviews

The Airborne Toxic Event

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Seeing an old girlfriend in a club with another guy when the wounds are still fresh. Seems pretty mundane and basic, heh? This band cuts so deep to the core with it's music and lyrics and the ability to deliver both on such a visceral level that in "Sometime Around Midnight" we are reminded just how devastating such a simple sounding event really is when you are feeling the pain and licking the wounds of broken love, broken dreams, lost moments. It is in fact like the end of the world--- an Airborne Toxic Event---- and the emotional integrity and purity that this band delivers along with Mikel Jollet's intense and gripping vocals and lyrics have the remarkable ability to take this "simple" event, put us right in the middle of it, and remind us of just how big it really is. Unpretentious and simple in its production, yet every song is a well crafted integral piece of this album's quiltwork. Absolutley incredible, and so refreshing to hear a full album of art and substance. Every song makes its mark with an emotional integrity I haven't heard from an artist in a while. And the best part is that it has a very unique place in the music milieu, so it gets even better with each listen. Great record...I pre-ordered the vinyl also!! It just feels like a classic!

If there is a better rock release in the last ten years, I want to know about it (maybe Green Day's last, but you can't compare these two). Ever since I heard Sometime Around Midnight on XM, I've been anxiously awaiting the release of their first full length LP, and it's now here. And it's brilliant. Every song holds its own, and elicits a different emotion. I have listened to it about 10 times since buying it (two days ago) and can't wait to get back in the car so I can put it on again.

Best overall songs: "Sometime Around Midnight" and "Innocence"

These two songs are sung with so much passion and emotion that you can't help but get sucked into their world.

Although I love every song on the disc, I want to make special mention of two more: "Missy" and "Gasoline." Wow. Missy tells this great story and speeds it up and slows it down when the story of the song calls for it, and it flat out works. By the time he starts belting out the lyrics behind the driving guitar and banging drums, toward the end of the song, I've got my car up to about 90 and I'm loving life!

I don't review music often, but I had to come on and make sure I helped contribute to the success of this album, as little help as this may be. It's really a brilliant, wonderful accomplishment.

As title says, and other poster posted, the music is great, very passionate and moving, but the sound quality sucks!!! My wife who has great hearing says she likes the youtube version better (as compared to way too expensive hi-fi). That tells you something about the SQ.

I think the sound quality of the first 6 tracks ranks up there with Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bullocks...(on CD) as among the worst 10 in my 2,500+ collection. Sounds like it was engineered for youtube played through laptop speakers. Don't believe me, take a look at the waveform with an audio editor.

Music like this is the reason why kids think mp3s sound as good as the CD... Well yeah they do if the CD was engineered this bad to begin with.

Going back to the content. Hard to say anything bad. Just a great rock group with heart and ability to play. Drummer spanks. Violinist isn't a gimmick but offers true depth and emotion to music.

There is true passion here, that is undebatable. What is debatable is hearing the influence of bands like The Libertines, The Clash, The Replacements, Bright Eyes and others in a way that sounds new. This record is brilliant, especially the main single "Sometime Around Midnight" which is how I found out about the band. There is no weak song here, and I predict this album taking off as soon as people hear it.

New band... I heard this band on kroq in LA and really liked Sometime Around Midnight and Gasoline but there are so many other great songs on the album that aren't on the radio right now. I have left it in my car and listen to it all the time when I'm driving around LA at night and the music always sounds fresh.

If you like the smiths, the cure, and maybe the white stripes... you would like this album...

I first saw this band on VH1 Nocturnal State, and was capitavated by the song Sometime Around Midnight. I went out and bought the album the next day, and was not disappointed. Every song was solid and performed with passion. I have bought 5 cds this week and this is the only one that I have played more than once. I strongly suggest you give this album a try...you will not be disappointed.


It has been several months since I posted this review and I have bought at least a hundred more cds. Hands down this is my favorite cd of 2008. It does not even compare to such media darlings as TV On the Radio. If you enjoy the ATE than I suggest you also look at the Nationals but otherwise the Airborne Toxic have their own unique sound and style. The songs are catchy and the lead singer has an intersting voice that is easy to enjoy. I tell people who ask me for a recommendation that you must get the AIrborne Toxic Event. It is a 5 star cd in my book.

This eponymous release is stark and minimalistic. The bloodletting on the cover is nothing compared to the primal music within. Every song seems to have a different muse with similar results, heartbreak and remorse. This talented quintet has assembled something that few bands have done in decades and that is to create a cohesive collection of songs that make an album.
Reviewers have compared this band to everyone from Modest Mouse to U2. I liken them to many classic eighties alternative favorites with sounds as varied as Joy Division, Bauhaus and early Pixies. This well travelled band exudes energy and self deprecation at the same time. Hopefully, there will be more from the deep dark places this album emminates from. Lets hope happiness and a 12 step program stay as far away from this creative process as possible!

This band reminds me of Squeeze and Echo and the Bunnymen but with more of an edge. If you like this type of music, then you should like this album. The song on the radio is always "Sometime around Midnight" and that's a good song but I think "Gasoline" is better.
It's great to hear good lyrics again and I agree with one reviewer who said it's "poetry put to music". Take the time and read the lyrics. You can actually hear the lyrics being sung too unlike some of the bands out there. They use different instruments not just guitars and drums which gives the music a kind of depth it wouldn't have otherwise.

I love the songs on this album - great lyrics, kickin' beats, good to listen to or dance to. All in all, a great album. I am looking forward to more from this band.
Happy listening!

I haven't been inspired to write a music review for some time, but felt the need to after discovering The Airborne Toxic Event.

Clearly the band's gift for lyrics is evidenced in their first album. Upon listening to the preview tracks, I thought this album sounded too "indie" for me. I had initially become aware of the band via their track "Sometime Around Midnight" getting airtime on the radio, and I was interested in listening to more, so I decided to buy it. Most people probably agree with the idea that a CD is only as good as how it sounds after multiple listenings (and, of course, years down the road). I put this theory to the test; at first I wasn't that sold on the album, but it seemed to get better each time I listened. Before long I was listening to this multiple times a day, and it really struck a chord with me (pun intended). Time will only tell with how it sounds years down the road, but it seems like this CD has everything going for it to still be relevant years later.

As far as the album itself, it is hard to articulate in the perfect words, but this album has a way of making simple subjects seem profound and a part of what many people have to go through. For instance, in "Sometime Around Midnight," it appears that the speaker is meeting up with an old flame that he sees at a bar, and has to deal with this over the course of an evening. "Does This Mean You're Moving On" explores the difficulties of having a relationship end, and having to go on with life. Despite the serious issues covered, this album is energetic in its presentation of lyrics and music, and the songs have a catchy vibe. And, another great aspect is just the refreshing appeal that most bands seem to miss right now, which is using various instruments with excellent song writing to create balance. Both substance in lyrics and balance in music, this is one of the best CDs in quite some time. Opinions are obviously going to vary but "Sometime Around Midnight" and "Happiness is Overrated" are probably my two favorite songs. However, there isn't a weak song anywhere, and as a whole, it is easy to listen to this album all the way through (and not just because of its short length).

Great album!

I found these guys in the most unlikely of ways. I just happened to be listening to a local radio station a few weeks back. The DJ said that they kept getting requests for this song and while it wasn't among their typical (and typically limited) selections, they would play it. It was "Sometime Around Midnight". I was immediately entranced.

It wasn't until a couple days later that I heard it again, although it had been on my mind. A couple more days go by and I'm browsing their website listening to songs and watching a couple videos. I was impressed by the few songs I heard, so I immediately ordered the vinyl. The record (which includes a copy of the CD) came yesterday, and I've been playing it non-stop since.

As the title indicates, what these guys are doing certainly isn't new. It is reminiscent of bands ranging from Arcade Fire to Franz Ferdinand to even some earlier bands as mentioned by another reviewer. What struck me about this record obviously isn't a fresh, new sound. It was the emotion permeating each track and delivered just the way it seems it should be. It's honest.

The last time I heard a record that struck me like this was (I'll probably be beaten mercilessly for this) the first release from Arctic Monkeys. The thing these bands have in common is the visceral feeling that comes straight from and goes straight to the soul.

If you like the other bands that ATE are being compared to, there's no doubt in my mind you will like (or love) this album as well.